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Smith treating Petco Park like a bandbox

4/1/14: Seth Smith smacks a homer over the right-field wall to cut the Padres' deficit to 3-1 in the fourth inning

By Corey Brock
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MLB.com |

SAN DIEGO -- Outfielder Seth Smith has made Petco Park look small in the first two games of the season, hitting a home run in each game against the Dodgers.

Small sample size aside, spacious Petco Park doesn't seem to haunt Smith at all -- at least not in the way that it has several other position players over the years.

"I think your experiences help you," Smith said. "For me, it's more about when you're in the batter's box and how you feel, the batter's eye and the pitchers. There's no need worrying about the fences and the dimensions or how the ball flies.

"If you hit it, it's going to go. If not, it won't."

Of course, Smith spent the last two seasons playing for the A's and in their spacious ballpark.

Smith played four seasons at Coors Field with the Rockies before joining the A's. One of the things that general manager Josh Byrnes liked about Smith before he traded for him in November was the fact he played in Oakland's pitcher-friendly O.co Coliseum and wouldn't be put off by Petco Park's dimensions.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. Keep track of @FollowThePadres on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.